BCC settles into new Silver City home

They’ve been moving furniture into the former Taunton Catholic Middle School.

Painters are scraping and applying new coats. Contractors are stripping and waxing floors. Technology experts are rewiring the building.

The former principal’s office is ready for its new occupant: the director of Taunton’s new Bristol Community College center.

Seating charts are slowly filling up, but plenty of spots remain.

“During the Enrollment Palooza week we assisted 36 students at the Taunton Center,” said BCC Dean of Admissions Shilo Henriques. “We helped both new and returning students with everything from admissions, academic advising, financial aid, registering for classes, scheduling placement testing, connecting them with student accounts to take care of balances and connecting them with the center for noncredit interests.”

Philicia Pacheco, a buyer for BCC, was supervising on site Tuesday.

Parts of other BCC satellites will be breaking off and arriving in the Silver City at the Summer Street building on Thursday.

“We’ve got painters upstairs painting a computer lab,” she said while taking a look at old middle school organizational charts. “The director’s ready to move into the principal’s office.”

The 82-year-old building opened in 1932 as Monsignor Coyle High School and became a Catholic middle school in 1972. BCC cut a ribbon in its grand marble entryway last week, and has begun converting the building to fit the needs of a community college student body.

Prior to the move, BCC provided day classes at the old Cohannet School building, where it shared space with the Taunton Alternative High School program, and night classes at Friedman Middle School. BCC also offers adult, basic-education courses.

Both day and evening students will now attend classes in one, centralized building.

Last year, 184 students registered for the fall semester in Taunton, with 225 attending classes, according to Benjamin Baumann, registrar for Fall River-based BCC.

As of last Friday, Baumann told the Gazette that 226 students had registered for the upcoming semester in Taunton.

BCC has campuses in Fall River, New Bedford and Attleboro.

Taunton is the only Bristol County city without a BCC campus. BCC spokesmen have indicated hopes are high that the school’s new home in the Silver City could lead to the founding of a campus in the city.

“On a personal note, it was really nice to speak with so many community members who are happy that BCC will be expanding our services in the downtown area,” Henriques said. “From people walking in the door to phone calls received, everyone was excited for the opportunity.”

Many city officials and elected office-holders cheered the decision by BCC to sign a one-year license agreement with its new landlord, the Diocese of Fall River. The historic downtown building, sadly vacated just this year, would not sit empty for long.

The fall semester starts on Sept. 2. The roll call lists are filling up with inspiring stories.

“I spoke to a wonderful woman on the phone who asked if there is an age limit to take classes as she is in her 80s,” Henriques said. “I said, ‘Of course not, and we will even give you a discount.’ She was over the moon and said she and her sister can’t wait to finally start college. They planned to go to the senior center that week and round up all their friends to join them.”